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Meguiar’s® Celebrates More Than 110 Years of Polishing the World’s Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Passion Still Remains Strong to be “The Surface Care Specialists”

What began a century ago as a simple furniture polish laboratory and plant in the garage of founder Frank Meguiar, Jr., now spans the globe as an international car care brand. Celebrating its 110th anniversary in 2011, Meguiar’s®Inc. has become one of the world’s leading surface care product companies, providing highly specialized products for almost every conceivable type of surface.

The difference for the Meguiar’s® brand has been the inborn passion for what we do; it fuels the driving force that moves us forward and exhilarates us every day. We view the company as much more than a business or an opportunity to make money; Meguiar’sproducts are a way to provide car crazy enthusiasts an opportunity to express their utmost pride with their vehicle and overall passion for the car hobby.

In his wildest dreams, it’s doubtful that in 1901 Frank Meguiar, Jr., could have foreseen what his first bottle of furniture polish would evolve into over the next 110 years. When Meguiar first began, he made one bottle of polish at a time using an eggbeater. Eventually, he was able to produce enough products at night, to fill the orders he would generate the next day and pay for the family’s groceries.

The arrival of the first horseless carriages turned Frank Meguiar’s attention to the automobile. Made out of wood, they were initially coated with the same finishes that were applied to furniture. It was an easy transition that set the course for the company’s preeminence in the car wax business today.

From his first bottle of furniture polish, Frank Meguiar, Jr. was steadfastly determined never to sell a product unless he was convinced it was the very best of its kind on the market. To this day, the company follows that dictate and, as a result, has generated millions of enthusiastic users around the world. We describe our customers as “raving fans.”

When Frank Meguiar, Jr. passed away in 1950, his three sons, who were his business partners, took the company to the next level. Maurice, the oldest, was the sales manager. Next came Malcolm, who shared his dad’s love for formulating and created most of the products that the company offered, some of which are still marketed today, including Meguiar’s Cleaner Wax, which is still one of the best selling liquid car waxes in America. The youngest of the three brothers, Kenneth, was in charge of production. It was the perfect partnership and through their hard work and leadership the company thrived through its second generation.

In the early years,

Meguiar’sMirror Glaze polishes and waxes, intended for professional use, were primarily used by car manufacturers, car dealers, body shops and detailers. Most custom painters polished their customer’s automobiles with Meguiar’sproducts, so the majority of cars put on display in car shows reflected finishes achieved with the use of Meguiar’s professional-line products. As car shows became prevalent in the 60’s, those attending began to recognize that the use of Meguiar’s polishes was the key to create brilliant, high-gloss finishes. Growing numbers of people began pressuring retailers to stock Meguiar’s Mirror Glaze products. Compelled by the demands of these enthusiastic fans, the family formally introduced its Meguiar’s brand of consumer automotive products in 1973, headed by current President of Meguiar’s Inc. Barry Meguiar, the son of Malcolm Meguiar. Fast forward to today, the Meguiar’s line of products still saturate the consumer marketplace, offering car care solutions for the hobbyist and the do-it-yourself lover alike.

From its inception, Meguiar’s has been an active participant in the collector car hobby. Barry Meguiar explains, “We are car guys who happen to be in the car wax business. The ultimate experience for us comes when our two passions merge in the exhilaration of “Best of Show” winners who regularly use our products.”

Meguiar’s sponsors and staffs more than 100 car show events across the country and around the world each year featuring every type of collector car from hot rods and muscle cars to exotic sports cars and vintage classics. In addition, the company supports more than 3,500 car club events every year. At almost every car show and automotive museum in the country, you will find an abundance of Meguiar’s products proudly used to maintain and showcase prized automobiles.

Meguiar’s love for the collector car hobby is also expressed on the country’s airwaves. Barry Meguiar hosts Car Crazy radio and Car Crazy television on the Velocity Channel, providing listeners and viewers from around the world with an insider’s look at icons of the collector car hobby.